Why do I need a personal VPN?

You desire extra security from online bad guys and identity thieves.

We’ll cover more specific applications below, but in general, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is technology that allows you to protect your online identity and data en route. Firewalls only protect your data on your computer itself and anti-virus software only protects you from viruses. Only a VPN provides security and privacy once your data leaves your computer. One day, it’ll be considered downright silly not to have one.

You don’t want your Internet Service Provider, or owner of a network you’re connecting through, to log, monitor, and/or control what you do online.

We call it “our” Internet connection but it really isn’t. We all rent access to the Internet under, often rather ominous, terms and conditions from an Internet service provider. Or, when you’re away from home, you gain access through a network under terms you aren’t even privy to.

Usually there is no evil intent here, but let’s face it — there have been many documented cases, even in the United States, where individual privacy rights have been blatantly and willfully disregarded by Internet service providers, search engines, and website owners.

We believe it is every law-abiding individual’s right to secure their data and protect their privacy online. Businesses wouldn’t think of sending their private data over the Internet without VPN encryption and neither should you.

You want to hide your IP address so you can protect your identity and location.

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP), or owner of a network you’re connecting through, issues you something called an IP address. This is a unique identifier, sort of like a phone number.

Not only can it be quite easy to match up an IP address with its owner, it also reveals your general location and other information about you. Every single website you visit using this IP address is recorded by the website owner, your Internet Service Provider, and others with the knowledge to do so. This information may be stored for years and years.

WiTopia’s VPN service prevents this from happening by issuing you an anonymous “stealth” IP address that makes it impossible for your true IP address to be captured. Nobody, not even your Internet Service Provider, website you visit, or search engine will be able to see your real IP address.

Even better, you can use an IP address from any country in which we have a VPN gateway and switch whenever you like, as often as you like, for no extra cost. Switching countries only takes a few moments too. You can be an “Internet Citizen” of the US for a few minutes, switch to UK for a bit, and finish your browsing in Panama or Hong Kong…just for kicks.

You may rest assured that when the VPN service is active, your online privacy is protected, your location is cloaked, and you may surf the web in complete anonymity.

You don’t want search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, AOL, and Bing recording and storing every Internet search you perform…..potentially forever.

Just like your ISP, Internet search engines record every search you do and tie it to your IP address. In the case of search engines, it’s possible that every Internet search you have ever performed has been stored and indexed to an IP address.

Why does this matter so much?

Because you typically keep the same IP address for long periods of time and likely perform searches that personally identify yourself (your name, your address). If you’re like most people, you also perform searches that, if taken out of context, might be embarrassing or, at the very least, nobody’s business but your own.

When these personally identifiable searches are indexed to a seldom-changing IP address and stored indefinitely, along with potentially thousands of other searches you’ve made, your privacy is lost. Sadly, we treat Internet search as if it’s private, but it’s not. Far from it, in fact.

We can restore your privacy while performing Internet searches. When your WiTopia VPN service is connected, only our IP address can be captured while your real IP address and location is completely protected and secure.

You use Wi-Fi Hotspots.

Although most don’t realize it, Wi-Fi Hotspots, whether paid or free, are horrifically insecure. You are literally broadcasting all of your data “in the clear” with typically no security whatsoever. This can include your e-mail, IM messages, web searches, and any other data sent or received over the wireless network.

It is shockingly easy for anyone to “sniff” and capture your data without your knowledge. Due to the ease of the crime, and the fact Wi-Fi Hotspots are typically frequented by folks with a little change in their pocket, a Wi-Fi Hotspot is a tantalizing place for bad guys to lurk.

One common tactic is something called the “evil twin” attack where the evildoer sets up a laptop as a seemingly legitimate Wi-Fi Hotspot. You connect to the Internet through “FREE Airport Wi-Fi” — or anything the bad guy wishes to name it — and although all seems fine you are actually sending all of your data through a hacker’s laptop.

Honestly, we’re not sure how often this happens, and it may even be pretty rare. Nevertheless, with data crimes, it usually only takes once to cause some pretty serious havoc in your life.

With WiTopia VPN service you could even connect through the hacker’s laptop and all they would be able to capture is a lot of encrypted gibberish they will never be able to crack.

You have a company-issued VPN but don’t wish to use it for personal business.

When you use your employer’s VPN, typically all your online activity is tracked by default. Also, using your employer’s bandwidth and IP addresses for personal business is likely to be a violation of your company’s policies.

You use the Internet at hotels or other shared hospitality or public networks.

The dangers from connecting over public networks are not limited to wireless. For example, when you connect to the Internet from a hotel room, even over a wired connection, your data stream can be captured by any other user of that network. How well do you know the guy in room 503, really? Worse, public Internet connections (hotels, RV parks, Internet cafes, and the like) usually don’t have the same security in place you would have in an office or even at home.

You live in, or are visiting, a country that blocks Skype, Facebook, Twitter, or other Internet services.

WiTopia’s VPN service should easily unblock VoIP, or other Internet services, such as Facebook, Twitter, or you-name-it in countries that block them. This can be a moving target, but we usually have a solution. If you need to unblock Vonage, or any service that utilizes hardware, we would recommend our CloakBox™ product.

You live in, or are visiting, a country that engages in Internet censorship or monitoring of content.

Beyond blocked services, more and more countries are engaging in Internet censorship or monitoring Internet users. WiTopia’s VPN services will ensure full, anonymous, and uncensored access to the Internet from wherever you are.

You wish to encrypt your VoIP traffic.

Even if your VoIP service isn’t blocked, it is very easy to monitor and “sniff” VoIP data traffic. Often, it’s far less secure than a normal POTS or “landline” connection. If you want to ensure that your VoIP calls are encrypted from your location, we would highly recommend our personalVPN™ service for pc-based VoIP, or our CloakBox™ product if your VoIP service requires an ATA or other external hardware.

You want to use a service or application that is geographically restricted by IP address.

A nice side benefit of using WiTopia VPN service is that you can enjoy the use of an IP address in so many different countries and switch at will. In fact, the WiTopia VPN network dwarfs the others. Hundreds of servers spread all over the globe (see chart) with more being added all the time. Have a request? Let us know.

Alas, although we cannot guarantee the performance of every application or website, we do guarantee we’ll give you your money back during your trial period if you are not satisfied.

You simply desire extra privacy and security and want to round out your firewall and anti-virus protection for a complete security solution.

Businesses have used VPNs since the 90’s to protect their data over the Internet. Today, with devices becoming ever more powerful, and the volume of personal data and Internet services growing by the day, it’s time for everyone to enjoy the protection a personal VPN service can provide.